Pilgrimages, with the curfed Doctrine of Purgatory treated of in the Essay) crept in and deftroyed the Purity and Power of that Faith & Worship once delivered to the Saints, These things were firft introduced and managed more Covertly, by Men of Subtilty and Defign, that walked in Craftiness and handled the Word of GOD deceitfully; But afterwards the Bishops of Rome carried the work on more openly, and with the utmoft Impudence, affuming to themselves and their Councils, the fole Power of Judging what, or which was Scripture, and accordingly took upon them to alter and to amend the Scriptures; and determined that the Scriptures were not fufficient without Tradition, and that Apoftolical Traditions were of equal Authority with the Writings of the Apoftles: And yet all this would not ferve the turn, fo long as the Fountain was kept open, and Chriftians could have recourse to the BIBLE, and thereby discern the vile Abuses put upon them. And therefore in order to compleat the Ruin of the Primitive Faith and Worship, the Romish Church at length took away the Key of Knowledge, and forbid the Common People the Reading of the Scriptures, upon this falfe Principle (among others) that Ignorance is the Mother of Devotion, fang The Council of Tholoufe, Anno 1z9. Strictly forbid the Laity the This great Iniquity of the Church of Rome, has been matter of Offence to fome, even of their own Communion ; Particularly the famous Father Quefnel, who in his admirable Theses, published about twenty Years fince, with great Earnestness, declares against forbidding Chriftians the Reading of the Holy Scriptures, especially the Gospel, or keeping it close and bound up in an unknown Tongue, as a most heinous Sin. His Phrafe in English is, "That << they who are Guilty of it, do in effect fhut the Mouth " of CHRIST against the People ". But this with many other Orthodox and Pious Propofitions were Condemned at Rome, by the Bull Unigenitus, that makes fuch an Eclat in France, at this Day. I fhall now conclude the whole with this one Remark, That nothing Contributed more to the Bleffed Reformation from Popery, than the Tranflating and Printing the Bible in the feveral Languages of the Nations * and Reftoring the free Ufe of the Scriptures to the People. And, as One of the Main Bulwarks of the Proteftant Churches, is their Declaring the Scriptures to be not only a fufficient, but the only Rule of Faith and Worship; fo we may humbly Hope, That while they walk according * Before the Invention of Printing, which was about Anno 1 4 30. Bible writ fair on Velum or Parchment coft 400 Crowns; and upon the fir Impreffion, they were Sold for Four Crowns a piece, and at length for One. See the Philofophical Tranfactions, and Brandt's Hiftory of the Reformation in Holland. to this Rule, under the Care and Leading of the Great Shepherd, they will be kept from Falling, and preferved Blameless to the coming of our LORD JESUS CHRIST, to whom be Glory for ever, and ever, AMEN. [To fill up the Page. ] The Emperor FREDERICK, about the Year 1 2 3 0, wrote to Pope Gregory the 9th, who was infamous for his Murthers, Avarice and Tyranny, these two following Lines ; ROMA diu titubans longis Erroribus acta Beza's Epitaph upon LUTHER. ROMA Orbem domuit, Romam fibi Papa fubégit, T AN AN ARGUMENT To Prove That MANY OTHERS, befides CALEB & JOSHUA Might enter into Canaan Who were Twenty Years old at the Coming out of Egypt. An OR, EXERCITATION On Numbers XIV from the 21 to the 30 V. and the Reference thereto, in Chap. XXXII. 10, 11, 12, which runs thus; And the LORD's Anger was kindled the fame time, and he Sware, faying, Surely none of the Men that came up out of Ægypt, from Twenty Years old & upwards fall fee the Land which I Sware to Abraham, to Ifaac, and to Jacob, Because they have not wholly followed Me; fave CALEB, the Son of Jephunneh the Kenezite, and JOSHUA, the Son of Nun, for they have wholly followed the LORD. T HE common Opinion from these two Paffages, and fome other Places to the fame purpose is, That not a Single Man of the Children of Ifrael that came out of Egypt, at Twenty Years of Age, (fave JOSHUA and CALEB) were permitted to enter into Canaan. This Opinion has prevailed fo much and fo long, that even some Learned Men have received it, particularly the Author of the the Chronological Connection,in Monfieur Saurin's Differta tions, on the Pentateuch, Vol. I. p.358. and Dr. W. Sherlock, in his Treatife of the Immortality of the Soul Tho' with this Difference, That the latter fays it only Obiter,or by the by; Whereas the former, does it de Induftria, of fet purpofe, and goes into a Mistake (as I apprehend) concerning the Age of Eleazer the Prieft. But of this, I fhall take Notice in the Conclufion of the Exercitation. In order to Correct the general Opinion above-mentioned, and to fet that matter in a full & clear light, there needs no more than a careful Comparing the following Places, viz. Numbers the I, Chap. from the 44 to the 49 V; and Numbers the XIV Chap. V. 29. and fo on; Numbers XXVI Chap. V. 3, 51, 62, and fo on; II. Chap. of Deuterenomy, 14,15, 16. V; Fofbua V. 4 & 6 verses; By which it will appear, First, That in the two famous Mufters of the Children of Ifrael from twenty Years Old and upwards, the Levites or the Tribe of Levi, were not numbred. A As to the first Mufter Recorded, Numbers Chap. I, They only, were to be numbred, that were able to go forth to. War: Now the Levites were never reckoned as Part of the Militia; and verfe 47, It is exprefly faid, the Levites were not numbred among them; and the fpecial Reafon is given in the following verfes. This firft Mufter was made at Mount Sinai by Mofes and Aaron, in the Second Year after their coming out of Egypt, and referr'd to in Exodus XXXVIII Chap. verfe 26. And in the fecond Mufter, |
